Over the last two decades, in-line skating has exploded in popularity. Indeed, in-line skates have replaced roller skates in popularity. One of the reasons for the surge in popularity of in-line skating may be due to the wide variety of equipment available and the lack of a requirement that in-line skating be performed in any particular place. That is, unlike ice skating which requires an individual to go to an ice rink, or roller skating which has traditionally been enjoyed in roller skating rinks, inline skates are specifically manufactured for use on city streets, or virtually anywhere there is a suitable hard surface to skate on. Furthermore, due to the relatively low cost of beginning participation in the sport (which typically requires the purchase of the skates and optional padding for elbows, knees and wrists), in-line skating is economically feasible for most people. As in-line skating has gained in popularity, several problems have arisen.
In particular, novice in-line skaters often have difficulty maintaining their balance while wearing their skates due to the tendency of the skates to roll out from under their bodies. This can create problems for the novice skater since the wearer is still required to maneuver on the in-line skates after stopping. In order to move in any direction, the wearer of the skates must roll to the next location. One example of the problem this poses for novice skaters is the simple act of stopping for lunch at one of the many snack bars along the beach between Venice and Santa Monica in California. After ordering refreshments from a self-service window, the skater must carry the refreshments from the window to a nearby table. This can represent a terrifying journey for a novice in-line skater. A simple visit to any popular in-line skating location will reveal a number of novice in-line skaters attempting to stabilize themselves and/or seeking to prevent themselves from failing while stopped.
In addition, the boom in popularity of in-line skating has resulted in a number of people using their skates to commute or otherwise travel about on a daily basis. However, a number of establishments (e.g. grocery stores, department stores, etc.) expressly prohibit people from skating in their stores. The inventor has found a need for an apparatus to enable the wearer of in-line skates to walk while wearing the in-line skates without activating the wheels. Furthermore, such a device would have to be cost effective, rugged and simple to use while not requiring the wearer to take the skates off their feet. Furthermore, such a device must be usable with a wide variety of in-line skates, including in-line skates having 3, 4 or more wheels. The device must be aerodynamically acceptable to advanced in-line skaters as well as practical for novices to utilize.
Mechanisms for assisting with braking in in-line skates have been known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,367 to Landis which issued on Jun. 14, 1994, disclosed a braking apparatus which utilizes a hand-held brake control for causing the application of rubber brake pads to the wheels of the in-line skate to slow the wearer down. In addition, major in-line skate manufacturers have proposed alternative braking mechanisms to assist the wearer in the braking operation.
In addition to the above-described '367 patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,273,345 to Ben-Dor et al. provides a friction plate for the wearer of the skate to drag along the ground to stop the movement of the skate. U.S. Pat. No. 3,351,353 to D. M. Weitzner discloses a pair of retractable roller and ice skates for shoes. As seen in FIGS. 10 and 13 of the '353 patent, the shoe can be taken apart so that a plate 50 is removed from its channel, inverted, and then reinserted into the channel 40 above the roller assemblies. The plate is thus stored out of the way in the channel and at the same time serves as a spacer and bearing member holding the roller assembly 70 in a stable position in the sole of the shoe, thus enabling the shoe to serve as a roller skate. While the device enables a shoe to be worn as a roller skate, it requires the shoe to be disassembled and reassembled prior to wearing the roller portion of the shoe.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,979,842 to Texidor discloses an athletic shoe exerciser that retains rollers when they are not being used in a lower portion of the exerciser. Specifically, as seen in FIG. 2, the roller skates are folded up into the base 14 of the shoe when not in use. Other modifications are sports shoes are also known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,295 to Schaefer discloses a convertible sports shoe that may be converted from a roller skate to an ice skate. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,387,852 discloses roller skates that can be removed from the bottom of the shoe 20. U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,718 to Gertler discloses a foot transport device that can be fastened to a standard walking shoe. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,122 discloses a combination roller skate and ice skate that includes a boot which can have a roller portion or an ice skate portion attached thereto.
None of the prior art braking mechanisms address the concerns of the inventor. Namely, to provide a device that allows the wearer of an in-line skate to walk in the skate without activating the wheels and without the need for removing the skate. Such a device is preferably formed as part of the skate such that the wearer is not required to carry any additional equipment or perform any lengthy procedures to convert the skate.